Big is getting bigger. Bigger exposure right now, that is.

The chain of malls in Israel under the name Big is under fire in the Haredi community. One of the branches, by the Glilot interchange, is newly opened on Shabbos and has become very popular and a destination as a secular activity on Shabbos, and also as a destination for Haredi protests.

Bet Shemesh has a Big mall, two actually, and it is very popular among a large portion of the local residents. These were among the first real malls in Bet Shemesh. 

Big Bet Shemesh is, needless to say, closed on Shabbos.

that detail might not be relevant as it will become a pawn in the fight between the Haredi community and the administration of Big.

Haredi rabbonim around Israel have been calling for the boycott of the Big malls due to the desecration of Shabbos by the new branch. The ban would be equally on branches that are closed on Shabbos as on branches that are open on Shabbos.

A group of Haredi rabbonim in Bet Shemesh have now published a letter calling for a community boycott of the Big Malls

I know this is flexing consumer power and Big thinking it can or will lose a lot of business from the Haredi community around Israel might pressure it to close the "offensive" branches on Shabbos... but I also wonder if it might have an opposite affect. Maybe they'll say we are closing on Shabbos in bet Shemesh, for example, and they are boycotting us there anyway, let's open it on Shabbos as well. Something like that probably wont happen in Bet Shemesh because the Haredi community is too big and strong and opening it on Shabbos would be its death knell, but maybe other branches in other areas that are not so Haredi-dominant could see a move like this...

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